Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is continuing to push for the use of higher ethanol blends in regular car engines. Last fall, Grassley and several other senators wrote the Environmental Protection Agency requesting testing of blends of ethanol above 10% for non-flexible fuel vehicles. Now Grassley is asking car makers what they are doing in the area of research and testing …
Partnership for Cellulosic Technology
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has entered into partnership with ConocoPhillips and Iowa State University to identify promising cellulosic biomass conversion technologies for the future. The collaboration will bring three independently established programs together to help identify the most efficient and cost-effective methods for making liquid transportation fuels from plants. “Research cooperation among government, industry …
Introducing Domestic Fuel Cast
Because we do lots of interviews and generate quite a bit of audio here at Domestic Fuel and because we are broadcasters by training, we thought it was about time we started our own podcast. The Domestic Fuel Cast will feature people and news of interest in the alternative fuels industry. Expect it to run about 5-10 minutes in length …
Corn Planting Prediction Lower
USDA’s highly anticipated prospective plantings report is predicting that farmers will plant eight percent less corn and 18 percent more soybeans. Growers intend to plant 86.0 million acres of corn and 74.8 million acres of soybeans in 2008. Expected acreage is down from last year in most states as favorable prices for other crops, high input costs for corn, and …
Missouri Senate Approves Biodiesel Mandate
A requirement that all diesel sold in Missouri contain at least 5 percent biodiesel has passed the State Senate. Radio station KWMU (St. Louis) reports the measure, set to go into effect in 2010 if it becomes law, passed by a wide 20-11 margin: The bill’s sponsor, State Senator Bill Stouffer (R, Napton), says B-5 will cause less pollution and …
Biodiesel from Tropical Paradise
Americans might soon be fueling up with biodiesel from the Phillipines. Abundant Biofuels Corporation has received the green light for developing 300 million gallons of biodiesel fuel from the island of Mindanao each year. The Supreme Council of Datus Alimaong has reached agreement with Monterey, CA-based Abundant Biofuels Corporation to develop more than 1.2 million acres of ancestral domain for …
Transitional Ethanol
On Saturday in Indiana, Presidential candidate Barack Obama echoed what a Nobel laureate in physics said Wednesday in Nebraska – corn-based ethanol is a transitional technology. During a campaign stop in corn country over the weekend, the Terre Haute News reports that Senator Obama was asked what he thought about corn-based ethanol. Obama answered, “We spend a billion dollars a …
Missouri-Kansas Becoming Green Rivals
When you live in this part of the country, you KNOW how big of rivals Kansas and Missouri are. This hatred goes all the way back to before the Civil War! I’ve even known people who would actually spit after they spoke the other state’s name. Officials at MU and KU have tried to tone down the rhetoric by calling …
Minnesota Looks to Increase Biodiesel Mandate
Hoping to mimic the success its ethanol mandate has brought to that industry in Minnesota, the state is looking at bumping up its 2 percent biodiesel mandate. This story from Minnesota Public Radio says a bill before the state legislature would increase that requirement by 10-fold: “What this does is actually give a signal to industry that they should move …
Achieving a Sustainable Energy Future
One of today’s presenters at the 25x’25 Renewable Energy Summit was Dr. Steve Chu, Director, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. His topic was “Achieving a Sustainable Energy Future” in which he provided an examination of how 25x’25 can be reached through means that conserve and protect natural resources. I walked in to his presentation first thing upon arriving this afternoon and …